1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bearing constituent member, a method of manufacturing the bearing constituent member, and a rolling bearing including the bearing constituent member.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to lubricate a rolling bearing, a lubricant is used. A foreign material such as wear debris may be in the lubricant. In a case where a rolling bearing is used under conditions in which a foreign material is in a lubricant, the foreign material is pressed against outer and inner rings or a rolling element, and surfaces of the outer and inner rings or a surface of the rolling element may be damaged. A portion in the surface that is damaged by a foreign material causes fatigue spalling due to stress concentration, which leads to a decrease in the lifetime of the rolling bearing. Therefore, a technique of improving the lifetime of a rolling bearing under conditions in which a foreign material is in a lubricant by using, as a raw material of a bearing constituent member, steel in which the nickel content, the chromium content, and the molybdenum content are high has been disclosed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-26752 (JP 4-26752 A)).